Morning sickness - how do you cope?

#2 Morning Sickness MayhemI was so blissfully delusional when it came to morning sickness, after my pregnancy with Elijah. I felt a bit sick for 12 weeks, threw up maybe a handful of times and didn’t really go off much food. I thought this pregnancy would be no different. Oh, how stupid of me, and how wrong I could be! It seemed as soon as I got those two lines on a stick; I was hugging the toilet (or kitchen sink) and had gone off every food you can think off.However, I still counted myself very lucky I knew some who had been so severely ill they were admitted to hospital. But, those first few weeks were a struggle I must admit. They were a shock, oh how naïve I was to think this pregnancy would be a breeze. It was also very hard to hide from everyone when I was green, not eating and had gone of all hot drinks (a sure sign your pregnant in my office!) Even though the emptier my stomach was the sicker I felt. I didn’t want to eat anything, it was a catch 22.I think things came to a head this Christmas when I couldn’t face my dinner, and to cheer myself up I wanted to head to the sales the next day. Bad move, I ended up throwing up in someone’s bush on the way. I started worrying about what I was eating, or lack of, for the first 8 weeks I lived off Pepsi and plain Pringles. Slowly, as the weeks went on I developed a taste for different flavoured crisps but drunk so much Pepsi my wee began to resemble it.Now, at 16 weeks I am slowly regaining my appetite but the odd bout of sickness will come from nowhere. I thought I enjoyed my tea the other day, when an hour later I was throwing it up in the kitchen sink. Which much to Greg’s horror I then blocked. I still have a very keen liking for every kind of crisp you can think off and have weaned myself of Pepsi in fear of giving birth to a baby holding a bottle of it! I am very much aware of how rubbish I feel if I don’t eat small and often throughout the day. It seems to be keeping the sickness as bay. I now arm myself with multiple Tupperware’s full of snacks, (mainly different crisps).Then the other story is my gag reflex. Even now saying the words out loud there is a twinge in my throat. I can barely feed the cats without gagging. I have now done it so much, Elijah follows me around the house copying me! It is also a tad awkward in the office and I have to quickly divert my attention to something else! My poor best friend has gone through this before when I was pregnant with Elijah, you should see the horror in her face when rice cake gate is mentioned. My gag reflex is not too impressed with Greg either.Greg smokes so as soon as he comes in from having one I start retching. He works in a kitchen when he comes home smelling of every time of food, I begin retching. Greg’s feet, body, and anything else all make me feel sick! If I could I would quarantine him to the garden, but it seems a tad harsh. Let’s just say it is not a very intimate time for us. Poor boy must feel quite dejected right now, especially when I don’t want the tea he cooks me and ends up going to the all night garage for crisps for me at 22.00 after unblocking the sink again.It could be worse I know this, and I have begun wondering if there is anything in the old wives tails. Was I sick due to high pregnancy hormones? Have I been more ill as it is a girl? Or did I get away with it for the first pregnancy and now I am earning my dues for the second? I am glad there is slowly light at the end of the tunnel, it has been affecting me quite a lot. The stress of wondering if the baby is getting enough nutrients off the crisp and Pepsi diet, not wanting to eat anything remotely healthy and retching so much I hurt my ribs and weed myself was not a personal high of the pregnancy that’s for sure.Also, who the bloody hell came up with the term Morning sickness? I am bloody sick morning, noon and especially at night. It should be called all day ballache sickness! Ladies, who have severe sickness, have sickness until the end and want to punch every single person who says it will pass after 12 weeks I salute you. Each and every one of you deserves a medal as I have experienced what I presume to be the tip of the iceberg and it floored me. Everyone going through the mayhem of morning sickness…. Grab them Pringles I am with you every step of the way.